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Usborne Illustrated World History
The Last 500 Years
Introduces the highlights of modern history throughout the world, from the voyages of European explorers to the end of the twentieth century, and discusses religion, society, and changes in technology.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
9 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Jane Bingham
323 books17 followersJane M. Bingham spent most of her adult life teaching college students about children's literature at Oakland University, collecting and studying children's books from across history and around the world, and campaigning for better materials for children to read. After she retired from that career, she began writing children's books of her own. Bingham has since authored several nonfiction books that seek to explain contemporary issues to children, including divorce, the dangers of drug abuse, and the art and culture of civilizations around the world.
In Why Do Families Break Up? Bingham attempts to demystify the process of divorce for middle-school students. The book begins by examining some of the reasons a couple might decide to divorce, then moves on to explain the process of coping and moving on after a family separates. School Library Journal contributor Sharon A. Neal described the book as "supportive [and] unbiased" and noted, "Despite the nature of the topic, the book is hopeful."
Tiananmen Square: June 4, 1989 examines the studentled protest against China's Communist rulers that occurred there, in the middle of Beijing, in the spring of 1989. On June 4 the government mobilized the army, including tanks, to disperse the demonstrators, killing several of them in the process. "The excellent illustrations and clear narrative," Elizabeth Talbot wrote in School Library Journal, make Tiananmen Square a "good introduction" to the protest and its aftermath.
Bingham is the author of three installments in the "World Art and Culture" series, examining India, Africa, and Aboriginal Australia. Each book is brief, only fifty-six pages long, and "the texts are straightforward and concise," Gillian Engberg noted in a review of AfricanArt and Culture for Booklist. Despite this brevity, much information is packed into each volume. Bingham opens each book with a chapter about the history of the region, from thousands of years ago to the present day, and follows with chapters about the art forms practiced in that area. These include architecture, basket-weaving, creating musical instruments, dance, and body modification (tattoos, piercings, and the like), among others. Indian Art and Culture also includes a chapter on one of that country's modern art forms, the "Bollywood" movie industry. As Donna Cardon noted in School Library Journal, "The texts not only describe the art forms and how they are created, but also explain the role that art plays in the cultures."
Bingham once wrote: "In 1981 I completed a trip which took me to American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, South Africa, and Swaziland. I collected examples of children's books along the way and became acutely aware of the need for books and other teaching resources in many developing countries. I was especially impressed with the variety of India's and Bangladesh's children's books—in spite of the difficulties their creators often encounter in publishing and promoting them. I also found that becoming aware of and enjoying the literature from other countries enriched my appreciation of American children's books. I found myself asking over and over why we, with the plethora we have to choose from, too often opt for the mediocre rather than the 'rarest kind of best.' As educators, creators, and consumers, we all too often forget to think of children's books as real literature because we fail to apply critical literary standards. It is my hope that my teaching and writing will draw attention to the continuing need for quality books in our own country and will also encourage American students and teachers to adopt a wider, world view of children's literature."
In Why Do Families Break Up? Bingham attempts to demystify the process of divorce for middle-school students. The book begins by examining some of the reasons a couple might decide to divorce, then moves on to explain the process of coping and moving on after a family separates. School Library Journal contributor Sharon A. Neal described the book as "supportive [and] unbiased" and noted, "Despite the nature of the topic, the book is hopeful."
Tiananmen Square: June 4, 1989 examines the studentled protest against China's Communist rulers that occurred there, in the middle of Beijing, in the spring of 1989. On June 4 the government mobilized the army, including tanks, to disperse the demonstrators, killing several of them in the process. "The excellent illustrations and clear narrative," Elizabeth Talbot wrote in School Library Journal, make Tiananmen Square a "good introduction" to the protest and its aftermath.
Bingham is the author of three installments in the "World Art and Culture" series, examining India, Africa, and Aboriginal Australia. Each book is brief, only fifty-six pages long, and "the texts are straightforward and concise," Gillian Engberg noted in a review of AfricanArt and Culture for Booklist. Despite this brevity, much information is packed into each volume. Bingham opens each book with a chapter about the history of the region, from thousands of years ago to the present day, and follows with chapters about the art forms practiced in that area. These include architecture, basket-weaving, creating musical instruments, dance, and body modification (tattoos, piercings, and the like), among others. Indian Art and Culture also includes a chapter on one of that country's modern art forms, the "Bollywood" movie industry. As Donna Cardon noted in School Library Journal, "The texts not only describe the art forms and how they are created, but also explain the role that art plays in the cultures."
Bingham once wrote: "In 1981 I completed a trip which took me to American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, South Africa, and Swaziland. I collected examples of children's books along the way and became acutely aware of the need for books and other teaching resources in many developing countries. I was especially impressed with the variety of India's and Bangladesh's children's books—in spite of the difficulties their creators often encounter in publishing and promoting them. I also found that becoming aware of and enjoying the literature from other countries enriched my appreciation of American children's books. I found myself asking over and over why we, with the plethora we have to choose from, too often opt for the mediocre rather than the 'rarest kind of best.' As educators, creators, and consumers, we all too often forget to think of children's books as real literature because we fail to apply critical literary standards. It is my hope that my teaching and writing will draw attention to the continuing need for quality books in our own country and will also encourage American students and teachers to adopt a wider, world view of children's literature."
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 24, 2017
This is a solid summary of European history from 1500-2000 in just over 100 pages. The brevity of the text is helpful in giving an overview of European/ Western history and the European exploration/ expansion to the rest of the world. Colorful illustrations, maps and photographs complement the elementary narrative, which is often broken into small paragraphs.
Indigenous cultures are covered as the Europeans discover them, along with short summaries of how that encounter progressed (disease, war, etc.) with some people thriving through the pressure of the European intrusion (such as China, Japan etc.) and some succumbing to the Western Europeans either permanently (such as Native Americans of North America, Maori of New Zealand, etc.) or temporarily (such as India, Brazil and Kenya).
The one outstanding awful point is the discussion of the middle east. The narrative begins with 1948, failing to tie the history of the region to previous sections, specifically the Ottoman Empire, or deal with the governance of the region between the wars. Summaries of Iran and Iraq are better.
Overall, this is overview has served our home school well, but it's hard to believe there are not other resources that would work just as well. The key for me in making it valuable was the brief coverage that we needed to fill in a severe education gap.
Indigenous cultures are covered as the Europeans discover them, along with short summaries of how that encounter progressed (disease, war, etc.) with some people thriving through the pressure of the European intrusion (such as China, Japan etc.) and some succumbing to the Western Europeans either permanently (such as Native Americans of North America, Maori of New Zealand, etc.) or temporarily (such as India, Brazil and Kenya).
The one outstanding awful point is the discussion of the middle east. The narrative begins with 1948, failing to tie the history of the region to previous sections, specifically the Ottoman Empire, or deal with the governance of the region between the wars. Summaries of Iran and Iraq are better.
Overall, this is overview has served our home school well, but it's hard to believe there are not other resources that would work just as well. The key for me in making it valuable was the brief coverage that we needed to fill in a severe education gap.
April 17, 2012
The book that taught me about Conquistadors and Captain Cook, Anne Frank and Princess Anastasia, Habsburgs and Hiroshima, Gulags and the Great Leap Forward, the Armada and Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Sitting Bull and Simon Bolivar, Blitzkrieg and the Brandenburg Gate, Lech Walesa and Lumière brothers... and a gazillion other wonderful facts that I collected like a greedy squirrel all before my 13th birthday. This is the book that I will perhaps always hold dear for kindling a love for history in me. This is also the book which cost too much for my then tiny little book budget and made me give up on Lay's potato chips for one whole month. However, as Calvin's dad would say, it "built a lot of character".
June 8, 2021
Brief little snippets of the past 500 years of history. Has illustrations and graphs that are a wonderful supplement to history studies.
August 24, 2023
Great way to see world history highlights of the last 500 years. See some of the same mistakes over and over.
September 26, 2024
Pretty good overview. It seemed to really try to touch on a lot of countries.
May 2, 2016
The Last 500 Years by Jane Bingham, Jane Chisholm, and Sam Taplin is a book that looks back on the last 500 years of world history. It begins with an introduction on how far the world has come in just five hundred years. Throughout the book, there is a different time period presented per page. It goes through the industrial revolution, the invention of the car, the invention of the hot air balloon, and more. It may seem like a long book, but it is actually very short and to the point. It uses photos, maps, and records to show what life looked like during a certain time period. At first glimpse, five hundred years may not seem like much but that means they are talking about from 1500 to the present day!
I would rate this book a four out of five stars because it achieves its purpose in teaching you about the last five hundred years. Although, it was a bit too short and could have been less general on certain ideas. The book did include many important facts I did not know about from around 1500-1600 and expanded my knowledge of the time period. If you are looking for a book that is colorful, full of ideas, and has a good way of delivering ideas, this is a book for you.
I would rate this book a four out of five stars because it achieves its purpose in teaching you about the last five hundred years. Although, it was a bit too short and could have been less general on certain ideas. The book did include many important facts I did not know about from around 1500-1600 and expanded my knowledge of the time period. If you are looking for a book that is colorful, full of ideas, and has a good way of delivering ideas, this is a book for you.
June 15, 2012
When filling out an "about me" my first grader said that this was his favorite book. It was very informative.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews